Perspicacity – big word. Almost too big. But it fits. The first characteristic of genius is the ability to learn, and perspicacity is that and more. The Latin root means to “see clearly” or “look through.” Merriam Webster shares that “…perspicacious implies unusual power to see through and comprehend what is puzzling or hidden.”
Being perspicacious is all about being open to learning. Some might say that not everyone is receptive to learning, so how can everyone be a genius. Everyone is in some way. It may be a teenager that is interested in learning about makeup or the newest celebrity fad, or it could be a sports fanatic that loves learning about the players and the stats of their favorite team. I’m not talking about just academia.
You can’t be perspicacious unless you have a growth mindset. What does this mean? It means that when you come upon something that challenges you, you must be willing to see that you may not know the answer, but that doesn’t mean you never will. As Carol Dweck shares in her TEDx talk, it is the power of yet. She shared how in her research, the people that saw a challenge as something they didn’t know YET but could know with some work, could learn. If someone doesn’t feel like they can learn, whether they think they are stupid or it just isn’t something they are gifted enough to learn, they can’t. They have a fixed mindset, and their learning is fixed in place. They can’t change unless they become open to growth.
In her same TEDx talk, Carol Dweck shared about three schools that were able to change the mindsets of their students and were able to take them from the lowest scoring on state testing to the highest in one year. These were students in traditionally lower-performing schools located in places like an Indian reservation and Harlem. All they had to do was look past where they were right now and see that even if they weren’t there yet, they could be. They were not only able to change the mindset of the teachers and students, but they were also able to change the entire culture of the school.
To grow and learn, you have to be willing to make some mistakes along the way. You won’t be perfect or have all the right answers. Our society’s focus on not losing is creating a generation of fixed mindset kids who don’t know how to come in the last place or feel the feeling of making a mistake. Or when they do, they aren’t taught what an opportunity it is!
When you are allowed to fail, you are given the freedom to take risks and think differently. You don’t have to be like everyone else or solve something just like they do. You can be innovative and creative. And if it doesn’t work… you do it again.
Expressing genius through perspicacity is not the ability to do everything right the first time. It is the ability to see that you learn each time you try and that you need to keep trying! It is all about being willing to learn. How can you be perspicacious today?
If you would like to learn more about different characteristics to develop that will help you realize your genius and develop a genius paradigm check out these articles:
Characteristics of a Genius – Resolute
Characteristics of a Genius – Optimism
Characteristics of a Genius – Talent
Characteristics of a genius – Action-Oriented
Characteristics of a Genius – Generosity
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